Two can play this game
by HouseMartius
Summary: "Her grey eyes seemed to twinkle confidently, or maybe arrogantly, at that and Reyna noticed how she just could not look away."


**disclaimer:** characters belong to Rick Riordan

from the same tumblr post that inspired me to write "Yer a youtube hit percy!". this time its the "we both got in separate bar fights downtown and now we're waiting in the ER comparing stories" au. starring annabeth and reyna bc this au was clearly created for them. hope u like it!

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Reyna could not believe her luck.

It seemed almost unreal to her that about an hour ago, she had been having the time of her life, surrounded by friends and laughter, and now she was in the damn hospital all by herself. How had that happened?

Stupid question. She knew the answer. It was partially her fault and everything...

She inspected her left hand carefully: it was bruised but not too badly, her knuckles were scrapped and a bit bloody and it hurt a little if she tried to stretch her fingers. Her right hand, however, was in much better conditions, which was a bit odd to her, seeing as it was her dominating one.

Ah! She'd used it to grab Octavian by the collar of his shirt to prevent his more than likely escape...

'Coward...'

Her face had probably taken some damage too. What worried her the most though was the annoying and insistent pain she would feel whenever she leaned forward, even if it was just an inch. She knew it had something to do with her ribs. She only hoped they were all intact, and that what she was feeling was just discomfort caused by a nasty bruise.

Suddenly, all her inner thoughts were interrupted, as she saw a girl approach the row of chairs she was currently sitting on. She was blonde and tall, probably taller than Reyna herself. Her skin was deeply tanned and her hair was tied up in a very messy ponytail. Her big grey eyes observed everything around her, as if she was analysing every little detail about her surroundings. But the unique thing about this girl, what really made Reyna notice her, was the way she carried herself. She was confident and authorative, a born leader. Reyna could tell because it was as if she was staring at her own reflection in the mirror.

The girl took a seat only two chairs away from her to the left, holding on to the one closest to her for support as she sat. And that's when Reyna took in how beat up she was: studying her out of the corner of her eye she saw a busted lip, a bloody right knee and bruised hands like her own.

She didn't seem to be in pain though. In fact, she looked perfectly at ease, although a bit impatient, with her arms crossed over her chest and left foot lightly tapping on the floor. Reyna could relate, she was getting sick of waiting to be attended too.

She turned her attention to he ER's lobby to see if somebody would call her soon, when a voice to her left almost made her jump in her seat.

"How'd you get so beaten up?"

Strange... Reyna never reacted like that to other people's voices. Was it because this girl's sounded so sure of herself, even when she had just started making conversation with someone she didn't even know?

She collected herself quickly though; showing any kind of weakness, even one such as insignificant as this one, especially to a stranger, was below her.

"I could ask you the same thing. You look like hell."

The blonde smirked and Reyna's heart skipped a beat at how uneasy it made her feel.

"Bar fight. Some people are just asking for it, y'know..."

Reyna chuckled a bit at that. "I know what you mean. That's how I got into this mess too."

The girl leaned back, reclining in her chair, not taking her grey eyes off of her. That darn smirk never leaving her face either.

"Who were you up against?"

Ah, she was evaluating her. If that even made any sense... Reyna was impressed. Here she was, sitting in the goddamn ER looking like a pack of dogs had attacked her and yet she challenged Reyna to see who was the most badass out of the two. If that made any sense either...

Reyna decided to go with it.

"Tall, scrawny boy. Doesn't sound like much but he's got a mean right hook. And it hurts like a bitch when he uses his bony elbows as a weapon." at this, she pointed at her ribs. "You?"

Her grey eyes seemed to twinkle confidently, or maybe arrogantly, at that and Reyna noticed how she just could not look away.

"Tall, buff girl. Sounds just like what she really is: strong. Any hit from her hurts like a bitch."

Reyna was impressed. That description had reminded her of her sister Hylla, who she dared not fight with. What she'd seen first hand had been enough. And if this girl had stood up against a similar foe and still managed to have no apparent broken bones, then Reyna was _seriously_ impressed.

And the girl noticed it. That smug smile and the way she put her arm on the chair next to her said it all: 'I _won_.'

"The name's Annabeth by the way."

But Reyna was not angered, nor did she feel insulted or weak.

"I'm Reyna."

She liked this girl. Annabeth reminded her of herself, although she did not have all that annoying yet not at all off-putting arrogance.

"We could go have some coffee after this. You could tell me more about this scrawny kid that managed to send you to the hospital."

And pride. Annabeth had an abundance of it.

"Are you asking me out on a date?"

Now it was Reyna's turn to feel all haughty. She wondered how the blonde would react: maybe she'd be a little taken aback, with a tiny and faint blush covering her cheeks.

It didn't happen as Reyna hoped though.

"Yeah, I guess I am."

There were no signs of surprise on her body language, not a single shade of red on her pretty face. Annabeth's eyes never left Reyna's as she answered, and she could see how they glowed with amusement.

A nurse called for Reyna's name, saying a doctor would see her now.

She slowly and carefully got up, putting a hand over her pained ribs. Her eyes never left Annabeth's either. "Meet up with me here when you're done."

She made her way towards the nurse who would show her the way to the room.

"Sure thing.", Annabeth called back before she was out of earshot.

Reyna could not believe her luck.

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**A/N:** i finished this literally two minutes ago. i got three positive reviews on my other fics and this happened lol PROOF THAT POSITIVE ENCOURAGEMENT CAN MAKE U DO ANYTHING

anyway i hope i was able to convey what i think is the center of reyna and annabeth's relationship, i can just see them challenging each other all the time. they're both super dominant and the two main leaders from each camp, its in their nature...

r&amp;r pls!


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